Home Office: Race Equality and Associate Scheme

Lord Rooker: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Shaun Woodward) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	The 2004 Spending Review settlement required the Northern Ireland Prison Service to commission an independent review of its strategy for reducing unit costs.
	The review was led by Hamish Hamill, the retired Head of the Scottish Justice Department who was assisted by Michael Cook, governor of HM Prison The Verne and Gary Law, unit manager of HM Prison Edinburgh. I am very grateful to them for their report which makes five principal recommendations.
	Recommendation 1
	The key target for NIPS should be to reduce its costs per prisoner place in real terms year-on-year by an agreed amount that is valid in the Northern Ireland context.
	Recommendation 2
	A wider review of the prisons estate is urgently required to inform long-term investment decisions.
	Recommendation 3
	NIPS should urgently explore the option of contracting out the full range of escort services in preference to reactivating prisoner custody officer recruitment.
	Recommendation 4
	A better understanding between management and staff representatives should offer quick wins for both sides and must be a top priority for the new director general.
	Recommendation 5
	The development of an enhanced model to assist in the provision of regular forecasts of the prisoner population, taking account of the range of relevant criminal justice system variables, should be given greater priority than it has had until now.
	The Government accept the report's recommendations which, when taken together with the service's efficiency programme, represent a comprehensive programme of work.
	To take the report's recommendations forward, I have asked Robin Masefield, the director general of the service, to prepare a strategic development plan aimed at drawing up the blueprint for the long-term development of the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
	The terms of reference for the work to develop the prison service strategic development plan are as follows:
	This study will draw up the blueprint for the long-term development of the Northern Ireland Prison Service. It will create a firm platform for the service's estate strategy and value-for-money investment decisions in relation to accommodation, facilities and services for prisoners.
	The study will build on the earlier estate strategy review completed in 2002 which concluded that Northern Ireland required three separate establishments. It is not intended to challenge that particular assumption, but the study will take account of:
	(a) potential changes in the prisoner population over the next 10-15 years and the foreseen operational needs of the service;
	(b) the current condition of the NIPS estate and the NIPS estate strategy review completed in 2002 where still relevant;
	(c) work in progress to clarify the role of individual establishments e.g. the review of the regime for life sentence prisoners;
	(d) the approach to the private sector in prison services in Great Britain and the potential for reductions in the cost to the taxpayer;
	(e) the comparative risks to deliverability of public and private sector operations, in the Northern Ireland context;
	(f) other relevant factors, including likely timescales, the merits of alternative locations for prisoners in Northern Ireland, and the employment effects in the northwest;
	(g) affordability; and
	(h) the service's current efficiency programme.
	The study is to take note of all other relevant evidence, including the recent report of the independent review led by Hamish Hamill and reports based on the concept of a healthy prison by the inspectorates in relation to both Magilligan and Hydebank Wood.
	The work will consist of a number of strands taken forward under the oversight of a central steering group. Trade union and staff association representatives will be consulted fully during the study.
	The main output from the review i.e. the service's strategic development plan, is to be completed before the end of 2005.
	I have placed copies of the Hamill report in the Libraries of both Houses